Love Inspired Suspense January 2014

by Shirlee McCoy

  “I’m going to go talk to him,” Max muttered angrily.

  “No.” She clamped a hand on his arm. “He’s well-known here, and we’re the strangers. No one will believe he’s doing anything but enjoying a cup of coffee in his favorite shop.”

  Max’s nostrils flared, his jaw tight. “He’s taunting you.”

  “Let him bring his A game, then,” she said, not releasing him. “I’ve been baited by competitors from all over the world. He hasn’t got anything on them.”

  “Way to go, Birdie,” he murmured, the sheen of admiration in his glance making her warm inside. “I knew that training was worth something.”

  She continued to watch as a skinny man in a black apron approached to tidy up the milk station. Ancho greeted him with a slap on the back and a warm smile. They talked quietly, Ancho seeming to listen attentively as the man wiped the counter and left.

  Ancho once again turned his attention to Laney. One more sip, another enigmatic smile over the rim of his mug. He winked at her.

  I’m watching you.

  So watch. Watch me beat you at your own game.

  Ancho greeted a few more of the seated customers as he headed back to the door. Pausing on the threshold, he took a last lazy sip and left. She heaved a sigh of relief, and Max’s rigid posture relaxed.

  “Sizing us up?” Max suggested.

  “Not sure.” She stretched as she stood, muscles complaining from her earlier training. “I’m going to visit the little skater’s room and then we’d better go.”

  “All right. I’ll check outside and see if Ancho has really left.” He got up, lips still pursed in that way that meant he was turning over the interview with Peterson in his mind. On impulse she got on tiptoe and kissed the frown line on his forehead, not caring if Beth or the others saw her do it. “You’re the only person I’d want next to me through this, Max.”

  His mouth twitched. “We’ll do more than get through it, we’ll ride it all the way to the finish line. Together.” The last word was light and delicate like a snowflake falling from his lips, or a paper bird floating on a cool winter breeze.

  She wanted to tell him that he meant so much more to her than a trainer, that he stirred emotion deep in her soul that felt, sometimes, an awful lot like love. Instead, she flashed him a smile and turned to hide the flood of tenderness that washed through her.

  “See you in a minute,” Max said.

  She watched him push through the front door before she headed down the narrow corridor to the ladies’ room.

  The hazy mirror in the bathroom reflected her image back in unflattering detail. Her hair was mussed, spots of anger showed on her cheeks and there was not so much as a dot of gloss on her lips.

  She dashed some water on her face and used wet fingers to plaster her hair back into some semblance of order. She was reaching for a paper towel when the lights went out, plunging the room into darkness.

  The one window was small and high, providing only a glimmer of light. From outside there was a clamor of voices, people moving cautiously, occasional shouts. General noises of confusion. The whole shop must be blacked out. Someone ran into a power pole? Plausible explanation, but it did not seem to calm her racing pulse.

  All right. Forget drying hands. She reached for the door and pushed.

  It was wedged tight. She banged on it with a flat palm. “Hey, somebody let me out.”

  She doubted if she could be heard by the milling patrons in the other room, but surely one of the workers would take notice. As the seconds ticked by with no response, she fumbled for her phone to call Max, nearly crying out in frustration when she realized she’d left it in Max’s truck.

  Great time to forget your cell phone, Laney. Dumb, dumb, dumb.

  “Help,” she shouted again, rattling the handle, which turned easily, but did not release the door. Dropping to her knees, she could not see anything impeding it, until she realized it was wedged from the other side.

  Someone had locked her in.

  Not someone. Ancho.

  Nerves sparking, she kicked at the door hard enough to make the wood shudder, yelling until she ran out of air. When she stopped for breath she heard movement on the other side. “Is anyone out there?”

  “Oh, yes,” came a man’s voice. “But don’t you worry, I’m coming in.”

  Her body iced in fear. “Ancho?” she whispered.

  There was no answer, only a hiss of soft laughter.

  “I’m going to scream,” she forced out. “Loud.”

  After a long pause he answered in a half whisper with his mouth pressed to the crack in the door. “I hope so.”

  The fear bubbled thick inside her, overwhelming her confidence and tensing her muscles for flight. Over the hubbub outside, her screams might not make much difference. Max would realize soon that she hadn’t come out, but getting through the crowd would take time, and now the handle of the door was rattling.

  “Ready or not,” he said.

  She backed up until the porcelain of the sink pressed hard against her back. She’d fight him to the last ounce of her strength, she’d fight with every fiber and sinew, but he was strong and crazy.

  Think, Laney. God gave you a mind, so use it.

  Only two exits, the door and the window. The door was out of the question.

  In a moment she’d climbed up on the sink and unlocked the window, sliding the heavily mildewed glass aside. It left only about a ten-inch-square opening and she was not sure her muscled thighs would fit through. If they don’t, he’ll be left to deal with my feet, she thought, wishing she had those razor-sharp blades strapped to her soles at that moment. She grabbed the sill and shoved her head through. The night air stung her face and she realized the window opened up onto the back of the shop, a wood-fenced area housing a Dumpster and empty pallets. The place stank of garbage but there was no room for squeamishness. She shoved and wriggled her way until her torso cleared the window.

  Almost through.

  From there she began to shove and twist her way past the frame. Over her panting and the creak of the protesting sill, she heard the sound of the bathroom door opening behind her.

  *

  Max did not see Ancho’s truck on the street or the side streets, neither was there any sign of a fancy sports car, though he did not think Ancho would be stupid enough to drive it. He had the Aston Martin tucked away somewhere in one of his warehouses, probably. As Max returned to the shop he saw that the interior was black except for a half-dozen cell phones turning into makeshift flashlights by the patrons. Power outage? Now? He dialed Laney’s number. No answer. Pulse pounding, he jogged back to the store, navigating through a wave of people exiting the shop in stumbling fashion as if they were sleepwalking. Inside, at the end of a hallway, he saw two employees struggling with a panel, one holding a flashlight for the other.

  “What’s wrong?”

  A young man, no more than twenty with hair pulled into a ponytail, yanked at a metal panel with a pry bar. “Some joker turned off the breakers and jammed the door to the electrical panel shut.”

  Some joker? He had a feeling he knew exactly who had done it by circling around the back entrance after he’d pretended to leave. Max left them to their efforts and moved as quickly as he could toward the back where Laney had gone to use the restroom. All the while his heart hammered hard against his ribs and he did not allow himself to think about the details.

  Just find her.

  Someone bumped into him. Tanya’s face shone oddly by her cell-phone light. “Max?”

  “Yeah. Where’s Laney?”

  “Jackie went to find her.”

  “Beth?”

  Tanya shrugged. “Dunno. Lost track of her when she excused herself to feed the parking meter. This is weird, huh?”

  She didn’t know how weird. He steered her toward the exit. “Wait outside. I’ll find Jackie and Beth.”

  Tanya held her phone in one hand and used the other to feel her way along. Max took out his phone an
d activated the flashlight app. There were only about a dozen people left in the shop; some sat as though a loss of power was commonplace, waiting until the lights were restored.

  This blackout was anything but commonplace. He shoved chairs out of his way and moved faster.

  “We’re asking everyone to please leave, sir,” said the skinny guy who had been cleaning up the milk station. “Just until we get the power back up.”

  “My friend is in the bathroom. I need to be sure she’s okay.”

  The kid put a hand up. “She’s probably outside safe and sound. I need you to go back out the front door now.”

  Was the guy in on it? Max straightened to full height. “I’m going to check on her, unless you think you’re going to stop me.”

  He’d kept his tone level, his distance appropriate, but the guy got the message anyway. Shrugging, he stepped back out of the way. Max shuffled as quickly as he could to the back hallway.

  He found Jackie stepping out of the bathroom, a frown on her face.

  “Is Laney in there?”

  “No.”

  His hands balled into fists. “Well, where is she?”

  “It’s ridiculous, but the window is open. I think it opens to the back parking lot.”

  Max made it to the rear exit when the lights flicked on. He shoved through the door into the back lot, relief flooding through him when he found Laney, breathing hard, smudges of dirt on her face. He ran to her.

  “What happened?”

  “Ancho locked me in the bathroom,” she panted. “He was after me, but I climbed out the window. I think he heard people coming and gave up.”

  Anger and relief chased each other through his heart. “Are you hurt at all?”

  “No,” she said, face suddenly breaking into a glorious grin. “But he’s got my footprint on his face.”

  He pulled her to him in a bear hug that turned into something else when he felt the shudder of her breath on his cheek. The need to protect her seemed ridiculous when she’d just outsmarted Trevor Ancho without any help from him, yet the thought that someone might harm her made him red-hot crazy. He crushed her to his chest and rubbed his face against her hair, his lips finding their way to hers and pressing a kiss there. No one can take you away from me. The thought seemed to come from a place inside that had nothing to do with racing or training, a feeling born somewhere far away from ice rinks and competitions.

  But he knew it was not true. She could be taken away in a heartbeat or at the end of a prolonged agony that stripped her of dignity, like Robby. Their time together could come to a halt just as quickly as it had the moment the car plowed into them on that snow-shrouded road. He would not be able to do the smallest of things to change that. The dark despair that lived inside rose up to swallow the light in his soul, and he forced himself to let go of her, lips still throbbing from the kiss.

  “We’ve got to go to the police,” he said gravely.

  “No. I’m not hurt, and I don’t want to risk any more bad publicity that could affect my spot on the team. Besides, I’m sure no one will believe he locked me in the bathroom.”

  “Who locked you in the bathroom?” Jackie said as she joined them.

  Beth and Tanya approached from the street in time to hear Jackie’s question.

  Beth laughed. “Did you forget how to unlock the door?”

  Laney looked at Max, and he knew she was weighing her words carefully.

  “I think someone locked me in,” Laney said.

  Tanya’s mouth fell open. “Why would they do that?”

  “I don’t know. But I crawled out the window.”

  Jackie was looking at her strangely. “The door opened when I came to find you.”

  “I think the guy that did it unlocked it and came in.”

  Jackie’s eyebrows raised nearly to her hairline. “You girls wait for me in the car,” she commanded. “I’ll be right there.”

  Tanya and Beth exchanged a look but did as they were instructed. Jackie waited until they left. She turned serious eyes on Laney. “I’m worried about you, as a coach and a friend. I’ve known you for a long time, and I was pleased when you made it back from your accident to compete again.”

  “But…?” Laney prompted.

  “But I’m worried that the stress is getting to you.”

  “Because you think I’m making up stories, imagining things.”

  Jackie took a breath. “Well, if you were me, wouldn’t you think the same thing? You’ve had nightmares since we started the season six months ago, lost track of things, accused someone of abducting you and now this.” She waved a hand toward the bathroom.

  “She’s telling the truth,” Max said.

  “I want to believe that, Max, and I know you do, also. What proof do you have that we can use to show to the police?”

  Laney bit her lip. “I don’t want to involve them.”

  She nodded. “I understand that. I’d probably advise Beth to do the same, but I think normal people who weren’t competing for an Olympic shot would advise you to do exactly that.” She gave Max a pointed glance. “I think those normal people would say your mental health and physical safety are worth more than a potential gold medal.”

  He knew she was right. Laney should go to the police, even if it meant quitting racing, but he would not force her to do so. Was it fear that she’d end her racing career? Or worry that racing was the only thing that tied them together? Was he being respectful of her feelings or selfish because of his own?

  Laney gave Jackie a hug, which the woman returned somewhat stiffly. “Thank you, Jackie. I know you want the best for me. I’ll think about what you said, but in the meantime, I’m not going to involve the police.”

  Jackie gave her an awkward pat. “I understand, and I won’t volunteer any information, but if Coach Stan asks me directly about tonight I’m going to have to tell him, even if it makes you look bad.”

  “I do understand, and I don’t want you to do anything that puts your job in jeopardy.”

  Jackie blinked and flashed a tight smile. “Thank you. If I couldn’t coach, that would be bad for everyone.”

  They headed for the street, where Beth and Tanya stood leaning against the bumper of Jackie’s Volkswagen.

  Max frowned. “No parking meter?”

  “What?” Jackie said.

  “I thought Tanya told me Beth went to feed the parking meter before the lights went out, but you’re not parked in a metered space.”

  Jackie’s mouth twitched and she jangled the keys impatiently. “Tanya must have been mistaken.”

  “So she wasn’t with you, then,” he said lightly, “when the power went out.”

  “No,” Jackie said. “Is there something significant in that?”

  They locked eyes for a moment. He knew she would do anything for Beth just as he would do the same for Laney. At some level, this tough, competitive woman probably loved her student.

  Like he loved Laney?

  Thin ice, Max.

  “No, nothing significant,” he said. Heading for more solid ground, he ushered Laney back to his truck.

  FOURTEEN

  Before dawn, Laney had another nightmare that jolted her awake, sweating and shivering. The car hurtled toward them as she clutched Max’s hand. In the dream she wanted to scream, to shriek out a warning so the car would stop, but she could not move, riveted to the spot and mute with terror. For that, she was grateful. At least she hadn’t awakened anyone with her screams this time.

  Clutching the sheets around her, she let the feelings wash over her instead of wishing them away. White car, flying snow, the driver’s face. A man? A woman? Try as she would to hold on to the fleeting memories, they sifted out of her consciousness like sand through a sieve. Instinct told her the memory was the key to understanding why Trevor Ancho was stalking her and why someone had sabotaged her skate. For once she wanted to remember, and now she found she couldn’t.

  She threw the pillow in frustration, startling Cu
bby from his sleep.

  “Sorry, baby,” she murmured, gathering him up for a cuddle. Her mind floated back to the kiss, Max’s lips against hers, the emotional connection that even now made her shiver. He was just relieved. That was all it had been. So why did every nerve in her body seem to recall the kiss in finely etched detail? Breathing deep, she blew the thoughts away. Checking the wall calendar, she confirmed that it was indeed Saturday, the day they were on their own for conditioning and workouts. Max had arranged some ice time, which would end with a practice sprint between herself and Beth.

  Laney’s thoughts returned to Beth as she fed Cubby. Max’s question about Beth’s whereabouts during the blackout at the coffee shop piqued her interest. At first it had worried her that he was paying particular notice to the girl, since Beth had taken every available opportunity to flirt with him. And why should it bother her? For one thing, she was way too young for him, on the cusp of twenty. And why would he be attracted to her? Sure she was pretty, vivacious, from a wealthy family. The list grew in Laney’s mind along with an uncomfortable flutter in her stomach.

  Beth was all the things Laney was not. Hip and edgy, a talented skater who could conceivably have two more chances at gold medals in her future, a girl who thrived on excitement and commanded attention from everyone she encountered. If that was what Max wanted, he was free to go after it, wasn’t he?

  She sat down on the edge of the bed and prayed, feeling the calm that always followed.

  With a restored sense of ease, she checked her messages. One was from her father, who said he would be there for lunch with good news. She breathed a sigh of relief. Good news was something she could use, and the best news of all would be that her father was not going to do anything foolish where Ancho was concerned. She resolved to talk to him at lunch regarding the rumor that her sister mentioned about the cabin and the strange hints Peterson had dropped. It was time for full disclosure.

  The second text was from Max. Meet me at ten for training at running track. M.